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Buster's horses at PRC (There were at least three different hosses during his PRC oaters) While the palomino Falcon was Buster's primary horse during his 36 westerns for PRC, he did ride several horses. In Karl Whitezel's book Buster Crabbe, A Self Portrait, Crabbe said that he and Al 'Fuzzy' St. John picked out their steeds at one of the rental stables in the San Fernando Valley, but he doesn't mention which stable.
 (Courtesy of Les Adams) Horse #1 In one or two of his early PRC westerns including his first, BILLY THE KID WANTED (PRC, 1941), Crabbe rode "White Hoss #1 - The horse with a mottled face and many names" which is profiled in the Trusty Steeds - Movie Horses section. That horse came from the Fat Jones stable. Wonder if his later palomino Falcon also came from Fat Jones?
 (From Old Corral image collection) Horse #2 Above and below - Buster Crabbe and trusty steed 'Falcon' (which confusingly shows up as white and palomino colors). Crabbe uses this horse in BILLY THE KID TRAPPED (PRC, 1942), FUGITIVE OF THE PLAINS (PRC, 1943), THE KID RIDES AGAIN (PRC, 1943), WESTERN CYCLONE (PRC, 1943), OATH OF VENGEANCE (PRC, 1944), RUSTLER'S HIDEOUT (PRC, 1944), HIS BROTHER'S GHOST (PRC, 1945), FUZZY SETTLES DOWN (PRC, 1945), OVERLAND RIDERS (PRC, 1946), GHOST OF HIDDEN VALLEY (PRC, 1946), more.
 The palomino Falcon is relatively easy to identify by the thin, longish white face blaze which extends down between the nostrils. This horse also had a brand on its left front shoulder near the stirrup (shown below).  (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above is the title lobby card from SHERIFF OF SAGE VALLEY (PRC, 1942) in which Buster Crabbe (on his palomino Falcon) had dual roles as both Billy the Kid and Kansas Ed Bonney. Sidekicks Dave 'Tex' O'Brien is on the left and Al St. John is on the right.  (From Old Corral image collection) The above image of Buster and Falcon was also used in the lobby card below. I did view GHOST OF HIDDEN VALLEY (PRC, 1946) when I was preparing this webpage and Crabbe is definitely riding the palomino Falcon with that long face blaze. I have no idea why Falcon shows up as a white steed in this lobby card. Check the brand on the left shoulder (crop/blowup of the brand shown below).  (From Old Corral image collection)  Above is a crop/blowup of the brand from the B&W image above. Anyone recognize the owner of the brand? Also spotted this on the hoss (and it appears to be the palomino Falcon) which Crabbe rides in OATH OF VENGEANCE (PRC, 1944), FUZZY SETTLES DOWN (PRC, 1945), more. Interestingly, I wasn't able to see this brand on Falcon on many of the films, though the horse was easily recognized by that slender face blaze. Did they cover the brand in some of the films ... or was the brand not present until the later films.
Horse #3
 Above - Buster riding a different palomino in a scene from one of his last PRC westerns, PRAIRIE BADMEN (PRC, 1946). |